Delhi-NCR woke up to unusually dense fog, a rarity in March, on Saturday morning, reducing visibility to near-zero in several parts and disrupting early Eid-ul-Fitr prayers and morning traffic.
The thick blanket of fog, rare for late March, blanketed landmarks including Jama Masjid and turned routine commutes into choked streets. The phenomenon comes a day after the capital witnessed spells of rain, which cleaned up the air and sent temperatures dipping to record the coldest March day in six years.
Residents and visitors alike were met with December-like scenes, more typical of winter rather than the final days of spring.
WHAT CAUSED THE FOG IN DELHI-NCR?
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the phenomenon stems from an active western disturbance that affected northwest India earlier this week.
The weather system, originating over the Mediterranean and carrying significant moisture, extended from northern Pakistan to Madhya Pradesh, also covering Haryana and southern Uttar Pradesh.
As a result, several regions, including Delhi-NCR, experienced widespread rainfall and thunderstorms on Friday, making March 2026 a wet affair, after a contrasting hot start.
The heavy precipitation saturated the lower atmosphere with moisture. Overnight cooling then drove surface temperatures down sharply, with Friday registering a maximum of only 21.7 degrees Celsius, the lowest March daytime high in six years and 10–15 degrees Celsius below the seasonal norm.
By early Saturday morning, readings hovered around 14 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung, allowing the moist air to reach its dew point and condense into dense fog that persisted into the daylight hours.
The reduced visibility affected large gatherings at major mosques during Eid prayers and slowed movement on key arterial roads.
On the positive side, the preceding rains significantly improved air quality, with Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) dropping to 94, the most satisfactory reading recorded in the past five months.
The IMD forecasts a gradual rise in temperatures over the next couple of days, with daytime highs expected to reach 27–29 degrees Celsius and minimums settling between 13–15 degrees Celsius.
A remnant western disturbance may still trigger light rain or thundershowers in isolated pockets early next week.
The unusual late-March weather pattern we are experiencing illustrates the increasingly variable nature of weather and seasons India has been facing lately.
